More than Writers

In her recent email, Wendy made a good point: the blog has slipped into being more of a ‘Christian’ blog than a blog about writing, by and for people who self-identify as Christians, reflecting a Christian world view. Maybe it’s a lot easier to discuss one’s faith than to discuss writing, given all the other writing blogs that are out on the web. We all know those blogs which try to teach other writers the craft, some addressing beginners and others suggesting new things to try. It sometimes seems as if writers would rather tell other writers how to do it than to buckle down to doing it themselves! Our discussion of writing needs to be done in a new and as yet not overdone way while also coming at the topic from a distinctively Christian angle. And is this a spiritual angle, a theological angle, a moral angle, a traditionalist angle, or what? Or is it more like something concocted from a special language and terminology designed for the consumption of Christian insiders? This ...

From the moment our distant ancestors started to be social and communicate with each other we have been telling each other stories. The best stories entertain us, but they also help us to establish and remember who we are, to think about the world and make sense of it, they help a community to create a worldview. As Christian writer’s we should be very familiar with the power that stories have on us. Telling stories, in aural or written form, is a high and important calling. When we analyse ancient stories from different parts of the world we discover an intriguing fact. Even though these tales come from different places in terms of geography, culture, and historical era, they are remarkably consistent in terms of the themes that they deal with. The best stories tend to have similar themes, themes that still drive many of the best stories today, themes like: -           Love and romance -        ...

Today on the blog we welcome ACW member Amy Robinson to the hot seat. It's a pleasure to have you join us Amy, and agree to answer our questions.  If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be and why? Do they have to still be alive?   Because I wish I could have met David Kossoff.   His storytelling was extraordinary and has been inspiring me since childhood.   Sadly I’m ten years too late for that wish to come true.   Ooh, I know - Lois Lowry, my favourite children’s writer. Have you met anyone famous? If so, in what context? Hmmm...how famous?!   My school choir used to provide the carol-singing at the turning on of Christmas lights in Bond Street, and there was always a celebrity to flick the switch and come to the party afterwards.   But having my photo taken with Posh Spice wasn’t nearly as exciting for me at that age as meeting some of my favourite writers - Michael Morpurgo at school, Paula Danziger at a book signin...